New football coach hired at Kingman High

KINGMAN - Kingman High School announced Thursday that David Ward will be the Bulldogs' new head football coach.

The hiring comes after former coach Rob York stepped down at the end of the season.

"The thing that stuck out for us is the fact that he's worked at many levels of the game of football," said KHS Athletic Director John Venenga "He's coached at everything from 1A to college. He's taken programs that have not had a lot of successes and ... built them into strong programs."

Last year, the Bulldogs were 4-6, the team's first four-win season in a number of years - and an improvement over recent seasons.

Venenga said that Ward is more of an offense-orientated coach who has a broad range of knowledge.

"He's going to look at what we have for personnel and then he will be ready to go," Venenga said. "He will be able to adapt to whatever we have."

Ward is currently teaching at Sierra Linda High School in Phoenix, but he's not coaching. His coaching experience includes stints in Georgia and Kentucky.

"He has the SEC (Southeast Conference) type of football mentally because that's where he's been coaching," Venenga said.

Part of that mentality, Venenga said, is his belief in players utilizing the weight room to be competitive.

Ward's hiring follows a recommendation from a search committee that included Venenga, KHS principal Patrick Carey, Mohave County Attorney Matt Smith, Craig Schritter from the Kingman Unified School District and Lee Williams assistant coach Ray Smith.

Carey said the committee was looking for a coach who could be successful in three areas - the football field, the community and the classroom - while also working well with Lee Williams High and Kingman Academy.

"We maybe a three high school town, but at the end of the day, we are all one town," Carey said.